<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Revenge, And a Little More by sooniesungs</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29629593">Revenge, And a Little More</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sooniesungs/pseuds/sooniesungs'>sooniesungs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Antagonist!Bang Chan, Antagonist!Hyunjin, Anxiety Attacks, Assassins &amp; Hitmen, Attempt at Humor, Betrayal, Enemies to Friends, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Needs A Hug, False Hope, Found Family, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Internal Conflict, Knives, M/M, Minho and Seungmin are Partners in Crime, Minor Character Death, Nobody deals with their issues in a healthy way, Organized Crime, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Discovery, Swearing, alternating pov, backstabbing, but its there for character development, eventually, very little fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:55:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29629593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sooniesungs/pseuds/sooniesungs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to the streets of Incheon, where organized crime leaves the inhabitants of the city fighting for their lifes, in search of vengeange, answers and his true self. </p><p>Enter Lee Minho and Hwang Hyunjin, two assassins from the local mafia struggling for dominance, eager to take one another out and come out on top. Each day is a fight with their wits, neither willing to let their guard down and turn their backs to each other.</p><p>Everything comes crashing down when unknowing university student Han Jisung unexpectedly comes into Minho's life and quickly gets targeted by his enemies, who would do anything to make him fall from power. His loyalty to everything he's ever known is tested when the other slowly starts creeping his way into his heart, but the hope and happiness seems nothing more than a cruel lie and soon leaves him wishing he was never born at all.</p><p>Life becomes a fight against time and leaving the endless circle of pain and destruction behind and archieving happiness with his new found love on his side or loosing himself in the progress.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Illusion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A lot of romances start with a fire. But while those fires usually tend to be metaphorical ones, flaring up in the hearts of the lovers when their gazes first meet, for Minho and Jisung it was a worn out university microwave, indulged in flames and thick grey smoke, penetrating the noses of anyone unfortunate enough to be close to it.</p><p>All in all, it had been a pretty shit morning for Lee Minho. Waking up at 3am to a request to immediately dispose of a low ranking politician that had started to dig a little too deep into the local crime scene and was about to sell out multiple vital players, did not help to start the day of the young man, who was simultaneously a top rated contract killer for the national mafia, but also a tired and distressed university student. Chronos showed little concern for his student life and the sleep he needed to manage both sides of his double life, more than willing to just pay for his way to a graduation, an idea he vehemently disagreed with. Professional murderer from a young age or not, university was a welcome breath of normality in his life that he was not granted often.</p><p>However the lack of sleep and discontent for having to leave his bed in the early morning to assassinate a frankly very annoying old man, that had the audacity to unexpectedly turn around in the middle of the throat cut and splatter blood all over his favorite black hoodie, had made this morning even worse than usual. And so he stood here, staring blankly at the growing flames, unable to process what was currently happening with his sleep-deprived brain.</p><p>“Holy fuck, dude.” Someone yelled, interrupting his barely moving trail of thought and pushing Minho aside, who was absent-mindedly waving his hands in an attempt to not choke from the smoking leftovers of his lunch break meal and returned shortly after, roughly pressing something round and metallic into his moving arms. It took a few heartbeats for the young man to realize it was a fire extinguisher and when he did, he hurried to pull the safety pin and pointed the nozzle at the flaming pathetic dark blob that once had been a cup of instant ramen. The flames only protested shortly before dying down and disappearing and for a second there was an awkward silence.</p><p>“I've watched a lot of students making miserable meals, but never have I seen somebody fail that badly.” The newly arrived student finally said and carefully poked the smoking black mass in front of them with a single chopstick, nose covered by his oversized yellow sleeves. The remains were coated in a thin layer of white foam, removing any doubt that they were now inedible. “Very funny.” Minho carefully put down the fire extinguisher, still cautiously eyeing the microwave. Who knew if it might suddenly decide to explode just to piss off the assassin a little further and make this day entirely despicable. “I wasn’t joking, it takes serious skill to blow up a microwave with instant ramen.”</p><p>Minho finally raised his eyes from the chaos he had created and took a look at the boy next to him. The student looked up as well, letting his arm fall to his side and exposing his full face in the process. A small grin was sitting on his face, that seemed so much softer and more innocent than his own. Messy blonde hair was covering one of his dark brown eyes, desperately begging for a haircut.</p><p>“But anyways. You’re welcome. I wasn’t sure how much longer you were just gonna stand around before I don’t know? Doing anything at all? Perhaps get a fire extinguisher?”<br/>
"Uhm. Thank you, I guess." Minho mumbled before he got the chance to actually think his words through and immediately he felt the need to give himself a slap to the face. As much as he had the mood to blame everything on his lack of sleep, was it really an excuse for such a pathetic choice of words? This was a different level of lack of eloquence and had he been on the receiving end he would have immediately marked the guy down as an asshole. The stranger seemed to share his sentiment, as his eyebrows shot up in an instant. "What do you mean I guess? Not to be dramatic or anything, but I just prevented you from burning down the entire university, for fucks sake." He snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "I guess. My god, dude, your situational awareness is as bad as your cooking skills." Ouch.</p><p>He chose to not respond to the comment and instead raised an eyebrow himself. “So how come you apparently get to watch a lot of students failing their meal? Is people watching in the cafeteria your hobby? A little weird, don't you think?” Minho couldn’t help the sudden provocative tone to his voice as his gaze fixated on the other students face, getting hit with instant regret once again. First being ungrateful and now accusatory too. He must be making an amazing first impression. “I’m actually a culinary major. So seeing others cook is kind off unavoidable.” The boy raised his hand to move a strand of messy blonde hair to the side, his eyes starting to sparkle with an amused expression. “If I had to take a guess from the way your current meal is looking and that I have never seen you around before, I would say you probably are not. You probably don’t even have any connection to cooking. Dude, who can even manage to burn a microwave with a box of instant-noodles?” He snorted, giving Minho a teasing smile. </p><p>“No need to repeat yourself over and over again, Mr. Culinary Major. But your guess is right. I am in fact a business major.” Minho tilted his head slightly, letting a playful smile appear on his lips, the haziness in his brain finally starting to die down. Something about this boy intrigued him and he was curious to learn more. Not to mention to fix whatever disastrous impression the other had of him so far.</p><p>“Business, huh? Not planning to go into the sales department, I would assume? Customers might prefer someone who can express themselves a little better, microwave boy.” The blonde pulled out his phone in the short moment of silence that followed the sudden nickname, shortly looking at the unlocked screen and then giving Minho one last mocking smile. “You have 17 minutes of break left, enough to buy a new box. Maybe you should try eating it cold this time, raw ramen noodles aren’t even that bad. Or so I heard. I’m sure you will be the judge of that and let me know the next time I come to your help. But please be a little more grateful then.” With this, he disappeared, a joyful bounce to his gait, leaving Minho alone in the still smoke filled room, still slowly processing what had just happened.</p><p>It was the kind of situation that felt surreal. It didn’t fit with the life he was living and yet he could feel his heart starting to beat a little faster, eager to meet this guy again, let him roast him once more in his melodic voice and distract himself from the bloodshed and harshness that awaited him once he stepped outside of campus grounds. However, Minho was quickly reminded that this had no chance of happening, when the phone in his back pocket gently vibrated, flashing the screen with a simple message. IN/46/RN. It had one clear meaning. Come to the base in Incheon Zone 46. Now. A job was waiting and it seemed urgent. An agonised groan escaped his lips. It didn’t seem like there was any hope of peace today. Life was cruel sometimes, he thought, as he examined the mess in front of him, the microwave finally ceasing to emit suffocating grey smoke. Shortly contemplating if he should risk to take time to clean this up and get a new meal ready before heading to his new destination, Minho quickly decided that he valued his life to some degree. Throwing the burnt cup into the trashcan and letting the school office know about the damaged device had to suffice for now. It truly was not a good morning.</p><p> </p><p>✦</p><p> </p><p>After taking care of the burned meal, Minho waited for an opportunity to slip away from the break rooms without being seen by any student who might recognize him, which proved difficult considering the burnt smell that attracted multiple curious souls. But after several minutes he was finally out and found an empty taxi willing to take him away from the university and into the heart of Incheon. Zone 46. He quickly checked the number on his phone again, before he slipped into the car with a wide friendly smile. There was a base in almost every zone, disguised as a restaurant chain spread throughout the entire country, an almost perfect cover for the criminal business of Chronos. Toulon was by no means just that, the french themed restaurant had quickly become popular not only from it’s availability in every major city of Korea, but also the generous funding it received. The head of the mafia had a thing for cuisine and took personal care of hiring highly qualified and dedicated cooks, that kept the reputation of his brand high without having the slightest clue what they were contributing to.</p><p>They arrived unexpectedly fast. Minho handed the driver the required money and waited until the orange car was out of sight, before mentally preparing himself and facing the restaurant. He entered with a trained confidence, not revealing his actual exhaustion and offered the waitress inside a warm smile. “Good afternoon. Mr. Park is expecting me to pick up some paperwork, will he be waiting in the back room?” His voice was soft and smooth, the result of long training that made him into an excellent liar, able to deceive almost anyone and to conceal his true emotions. Not that he liked to lie in particular, but it came with the job.</p><p>The waitress fell for it immediately, not doubting for a second that he belonged here. “Mister Park is currently upstairs, you will find him in the second door just around the corner. Just knock and you will be let in.” Minho thanked her and headed to the first floor, more than familiar with the restaurant's layout as it barely differed from location to location.</p><p>When he stepped into the dimly lit room, two men were already expecting him, their clean black suits with a red pin signaling their Lieutenant status in the organization. Minho closed the door behind him and turned around to bow, his dark eyes quickly scanning their faces, but only being able to recognize one. Park Seojoon. A smart and rich man, that had quickly ascended the ranks for his strategic value, but his lack of physical strength made him a laughing target of the soldiers below him. Minho had worked for him before, getting to know his lack of empathy but undying loyalty for the head of the family. He turned his attention to the second man, who did not bother to even look at him with his bored gray eyes.</p><p>“Lee Minho, Sir. You called for me?” Minho raised his head and put his hands behind his back, fixating his gaze on Park, who gave him a small smile. “Correct. Please, sit down.” The Lieutenant pointed to the chair facing him and waited silently until the boy had sat down.</p><p>“It has been a while since I last saw you, Lee. Been busy?”<br/>
“My superior has given me more time to focus on University, Sir. I am expected to graduate with high honors to be able to take over one of the smaller companies without raising any suspicion.”</p><p>“Looking at your current reports, this should not pose a problem, I assume.” Of course Park Seojoon had studied his profile before calling him. As much as he despised the man for his cruel personality, Minho couldn’t help but admire his preparedness for any and all situations. "We heard this morning's little problem has been resolved well too. A clean and fast hit, very impressive. I hope you don't mind us calling you so shortly after the last mission." The assassin knew that these words had no sincerity in them. If he minded or not didn't matter, he was expected to take any Job his superiors would give him and offer perfect results. The older man folded his hands and leaned forward, locking his eyes with the subordinate. “We have called you today to discuss a hit that needs to be performed rather quickly. Your current occupation as a student at Incheon National University may be beneficial for it. Are you familiar with the family name Kang?”</p><p>It was a rhetorical question, simply asked to test how deep Minho’s knowledge went and the boy prepared for a second before choosing the words for his answer. “The Kang family currently owns one of the major security companies, NiYeon Tech, which is mainly focused on producing and selling security cameras, whoever they have recently started to expand into cyber security as well. There are rumors that the head of company, Kang Rowoong, is working on a program that would be able to detect pretty much all currently used spyware and encrypt the data accordingly.” </p><p>“It is more than just a rumor.” The man besides Seojoon confirmed. “He is specifically targeting a type of spyware that our organisation is heavily relying on. We would take a detrimental blow if he were to succeed. Needless to say, the boss does not appreciate this.” The man lifted a file from his lap and slid it over the table, prompting Minho to pick it up. “You know what to do. Unfortunately his plans are very well protected and there is a high chance he has hidden copies and would continue his projects even if his main files are destroyed, so he will need to be removed from the picture entirely. You will find all necessary information on his company and person here, including his weekly schedule and habits.” Park Seojoon nodded approvingly and took over the conversation. “Kang has a son your age, also studying in Incheon. Find him and get close to him. He is reported to be more of a lonely soul, so it should be easy to befriend him without raising too much suspicion from people close to him. You may use him to gain information for your hit, but it’s more important to stay in touch with him after it. Use the situation after the successful asssassination to comfort him. Try to gain access to Kang's mansion through him. After he is dead we want his data. Everything. Discuss further details with your squad. It would be ideal if nobody ever finds out we have the data. Am I understood, Lee?” </p><p>“Of course, Sir.” Minho bowed his head and eyed the file in his hands carefully, refraining to open it just yet. He was expected to thoroughly study it in his own time, not bothering the higher ranking men longer than possible. “I will report back to you as soon as possible.” He promised with a determined smile, earning an approving nod as a response. “Good.” Seojoon hummed with a satisfied tone. “I will be looking forward to it. Don’t disappoint us. Chronos is watching.” </p><p>✦</p><p>The cold air of Incheon felt soothing against Minho’s skin as he exited the restaurant and took a deep breath. A small shiver ran through his body and it wasn’t caused by the cold alone. He never quite managed to shake the discomfort of his job, even if he had gone numb to the killing itself. But death wasn’t painful for those who had died, the worst pain was felt by the survivors and Kang not only had a son, but also a very young daughter. Ripping families apart for the sake of a power hungry mafia was nothing he could justify, but it was all he had ever known and there was no way to get out of it anymore. Besides, he wouldn’t know who he was without the one thing that had always been in his life.</p><p>Having a midlife crisis in front of a restaurant would probably draw a lot of unwanted attention, so Minho gave it one final glance and started walking aimlessly, not sure what to do with himself. The file in his hand felt heavy, a burden he could have gladly went without, but since he didn’t have a choice, it was time to make it everyone’s problem.</p><p>He stopped when he arrived at one of the smaller rivers running through the city and checked to see that the area is empty, before pulling out his phone and calling one of the few numbers saved in it. It only rang for a few moments, then he heard Kim Seungmin’s soft voice next to his ear. “Hey, Lee. How are you?” </p><p>“Terrible, Seungmin, terrible.” He sighed, leaning over the railing separating him from the ever rushing water. “Do you want me to start from the beginning or skip right to the part where you get involved?” His literal partner in crime laughed and Minho could imagine him tilting his head in amusement perfectly. If Lee Minho was destined to be a leader, Kim Seungmin was an advisor, a right-hand man, holding things together in the background, never failing to be a source of comfort if needed. “If everything from the beginning will take more than 10 minutes skip entirely, otherwise summarize. Jeongin will be home soon and I don’t think he should hear whatever has got to do with both of us.” </p><p>“Your struggles of balancing a romantic life and a job within organized crime hardly seems like my problem. Should have settled for someone within the family, not some random civilian.”<br/>
“He’s not just a random civilian and you know that.”</p><p>Minho sighed once more and it didn’t take long to make the decision of dropping the topic. Lecturing the younger assassin was a waste of breath and time and as long as his double life wasn’t discovered by his significant other, it was none of his business, even as his superior.</p><p>“Anyways, it’s been a terrible day. That fucking politician should have been a job for someone lower ranking then me, he was a joke and I can’t believe they are making me sacrifice my sleep for jobs like this. Why promote me and give me my own team if I still have to run errands like a newbie?” Seungmin only huffed. “Don’t let your rank get to your head, at the end of the day we are all just canon fodder in the outer circle, title or not.” Minho deliberately ignored his comment, not in the mood to face that fact.</p><p>“Then I burned down my university’s microwave and got called by Chronos a few minutes after. Chronos is gonna be your problem too tho, not only mine. We got a new job and it’s actually big this time. Kang Rowoong, CEO of NiYEon Tech. I will send you his file once I’m home and I need you to look into him past the given information. He isn’t stupid, he knows his project has gained our attention and will have personal guards with him at all times. Find a weakness in his schedule. Some time or place where we can get him alone and finish him off fast.”</p><p>"Are you gonna involve the rest of the squad as well?" Seungmin asked and Minho scoffed bitterly, sitting down on the closest bench to rub his temples with his free hand. "And let Hwang know they picked me over him once again? If that happens Kang will probably not be the only dead body at the crime scene and I don't know how I feel about dying before even graduating, to be honest." He let his hands fall to his side and his gaze fixated on the water in front of him, moving steadily, unbothered by what was going on in the world around it. </p><p>He wished he could be as unbothered as nature itself, however there were people whose mere existence was enough to irritate him whenever he was confronted by it and one of those people was assigned to his squad and called himself Hwang Hyunjin. Whenever they were remotely close to each other the younger one effortlessly crawled under his skin, challenging Minho with every fiber of his being and awakening a murderous intent. If he was like any other soldier, Minho would have long found a way to make him disappear, but unfortunately the bastard did not only have an attitude problem, but also rich and influential parents. The ideal recipe for a major headache. </p><p>"You think you not telling them will prevent them from knowing?" A cold air of seriousness found its way into the other boy's tone and Minho could hear him moving in his chair restlessly. "They will know anyways. Filthy rich rats have their eyes and ears everywhere. Chances are you increase your probability of getting out alive if you make it seem like a group assignment. Get all of us in on it. Give Hwang a major role even if you are the one to get the kill. I'm serious Min. Don't go solo again. You can't afford letting the entire squad break apart just because one wealthy bastard questions your leadership."</p><p>"As if you are respecting my rank as much you should, Kim." He heard a small laughter, but it almost sounded sad. "I'm your friend or at least I hope that feeling is mutual. I talk casually to you because I like you, but you know I would follow your orders without question if needed. Me breaking the rules is not comparable with someone who would kill you in a heartbeat if it meant to push their own ranks further." He was right and Minho knew it. A small sigh escaped his lips, but was replaced with a smile. “It is mutual. And it means a lot. Genuinely.” </p><p>“I’m glad.” There was a short moment of silence before Seungmin raised his voice again. “I will have the analysis by Wednesday, but I’ll try to get it done earlier. Should I warn the team to be prepared for a meeting at all times?” Minho made a confirmative noise and pushed himself off the bench again. All of the previous exhaustion had suddenly come back and he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. “Thank you, Seung. I appreciate it. And sorry about the comment concerning Jeongin. I know he means a lot to you, I’m just worried, you know what will happen if he ever finds out. So take good care of yourself. And him.”<br/>
“I will.”</p><p>And with that, the call ended. Minho caught himself staring at the now blank screen longer than necessary, before shaking the dizziness off and heading to the next taxi station. His bed was waiting, warm and comfortable. so unlike the rest of the world.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A big thank you if you have made it through this first chapter! This is my first work ever and I'm especially nervous about publishing this since English is not my first language. </p><p>This was heavily inspired by the All In M/V, will however differ storywise. This will be long and probably painful ride, so buckle up! Nobody will be save from some Angst, but I promise comfort will be on it's way eventually. &lt;3</p><p>I would genuinely appreciate comments with feedback, but regardless I will be back next week with a new chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Inception</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hyunjin froze as his body was abruptly slammed into the wall and a knife met his throat, which had previously been hidden somewhere in the other one’s clothing, close enough that even breathing could cut him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Minho stepped into one of the meeting rooms of Chronos a few days later and met the eyes of his team, mixed with both open admiration and half hidden distrust, he immediately knew something would go wrong. It was one of those days where his gut feeling was almost screaming at him, yelling that something was off despite the situation at hand being quite normal and nothing indicating immediate danger. Sure, Hwang Hyunjin stared him down as if he was about to put a knife into his throat, however this was nothing new and the other assassin had yet to try and actually harm him. He met the other boys eyes with a raised eyebrow and for a moment their gazes seemed to battle each other, before Hwang turned it down, a mocking smile playing with his lips.</p>
<p>Small tinges of anxiety began to nip at him, not being able to place what exactly was wrong, but when Seungmin slipped into the room with an apologetic smile, he swallowed down the negative feelings and cleared his throat to gain the attention of his team.</p>
<p>“Good morning, everyone, it’s been a while, but I hope you have been as well as you can be when you work in criminal business.” Minho started, hands folded behind his back to hide their slight shaking, despite his face being relaxed and calm. “We have a new target and a long term goal, which is why we have the pleasure of working together once again.”</p>
<p>He elegantly turned around and wrote a name on the whiteboard behind him. Kang Rowoong. When Minho faced the other soldiers again, he carefully read their faces, mentally noting who showed realization and who seemed clueless on who the target was. “Kang Rowoong.”, he repeated the name written down in his messy handwriting. “CEO of NiYeon Tech. Not one of the biggest names in the industry, but undoubtedly powerful and well protected. Not the entire team will be required to work on this project, however for the rest of you, you will receive other assignments at the end of the conference. Seungmin will fill you in on your specifics, but your reports are to be sent to me.” The small group of people bowed their heads in understanding, eyes still fixated on the team leader or the black letters spelling out a clear death sentence for the man who carried the name. </p>
<p>If Chronos wanted him dead, he would be dead soon. In the unlikely case of their own team failing, someone else would take care of the issue and bury all evidence, the police having long been corrupted by their own and willing to close an eye and ignore a failed murder attempt so that they may try again. </p>
<p>“Every Saturday Kang visits a private fitness studio called PhysioFit in western Incheon, in Namdong-Gu. The exact address will be sent to the people chosen to accompany me on this fun trip. He will only be followed by bodyguards until he is in the building and train alone, since the place itself has high security and only other rich bastards can access it after being screened thoroughly. You may see the problem here. Unfortunately, no matter how rich some of us are, we do not have free access to the studio and even if we had, it would be like waving a red flag in front of everyone that, hey, this person from our company has been in the studio with him and only one of them came out alive! Let’s not sacrifice our own men, if we can fuck over someone else who might pose a future problem for us in the process.”</p>
<p>He gave a nod to Seungmin, who turned on the projector facing the whiteboard and let the image of a middle aged businessman appear on the bright surface.</p>
<p>“Based on our schedule analysis, this man, Son Parkhyun, visits the studio every two weeks on Saturdays at the same time Kang does. Our target date is the 17th. He usually tends to go around without any guards since his business is not exactly quite influential and most of his money is inherited. He also has a nephew a little younger than me, which is the fact we are going to abuse.</p>
<p>Choi Jisu. Lee Jaehyun. You two will intercept his car before he arrives at the studio and take his studio card. Make sure he stays unconscious for at least two hours and has no recollection of what happened. It’s up to you to decide how you do it. After, head to the street at the back of the studio, hand me the card and stay on standby until it’s time to flee the scene. Make sure you won’t be caught on any cameras and hide your identities accordingly.” He received a quick bow in return, which was answer enough.</p>
<p>With a sigh Minho turned his head to the left, facing his biggest cause of anxiety ever since he set a foot into Chronos and was promptly met with challenging eyes, waiting for him to address Hyunjin and giving him a reason to hate him even further. “Hwang. I need you to come with me and distract and then get rid of the person at the front after Seungmin shut down the security cameras. They need to leave their position so I have enough time and free range to kill Kang and destroy evidence. Find a reason they have to follow you, you are free to take them out and hide their body appropriately. As long as we do not have any witnesses and they don’t get found, you are free to chose your methods on your own”</p>
<p>“I’d rather not.” Hyunjin simply replied, raising one of his eyebrows in open defiance.</p>
<p>"This wasn't a suggestion, it was an order.” Minho’s voice was low and cold, the anxiety that had been flaring up in his chest ever since he had entered the room now growing stronger.  He could not afford any of this right now, not when the entire team was watching, possibly being inspired to follow the rebellious assassin’s example.</p>
<p>Hyunjin huffed, his hand softly tapping against the table he was leaned against and pointed lazily at someone seemingly random in the room. “You are free to pick anyone else, because unfortunately for you, I am too preoccupied to take part in your project. I’m in no way obligated to follow your orders right now.” </p>
<p>“Oh really? Remind me again what rank you hold, Hwang Hyunjin, and which one I hold. I think this should settle this matter once and for all." The voice slightly raised in volume, was however still just as cold and calm. Discomfort and fear was visible in the face of the entire team, whose eyes were flickering nervously between their team leader and Hyunjin, who had stepped closer to each other, bodies automatically tensing up. It was quiet, a tense silence in which nobody dared to breathe, until finally, the younger of the two offered his simple response.</p>
<p>“No. I will not.”</p>
<p>Hyunjin froze as his body was abruptly slammed into the wall and a knife met his throat, which had previously been hidden somewhere in the other one’s clothing, close enough that even breathing could cut him. For a few heartbeats there was shocked silence and then the younger male laughed, seemingly unbothered by the way Minho's blade mercilessly sliced his skin from the tiny movements and made a drop of blood run down his neck.</p>
<p>"You wouldn't." He said, superiority complex dripping from his voice.<br/>"Your parents dirty money won't protect you forever, Hwang." Minho whispered coldly. "They may be rich, they may be influential, but you are not them. If you think you can get away with open disobedience, you are wrong. You know how they got to the top, better than anyone else and how they value what Chronos stands for and how it works. And you also know that a spoiled, disobedient brat will not be the heir of their fortune, they would rather hand it all to organization than let it go to waste in your hands. Neglect my orders once more and you will wish I would have cut your throat right now."</p>
<p>"Minho." Seungmin said from a corner, his voice containing a silent plea. "Don't.”</p>
<p>"You are not helping either, Kim. Let this be a warning for every single one of you. I don't give a fuck what you think of me and if I am worthy of this position. You may have your opinion and you may voice it. But dare to openly disrespect and disobey me again and I will make sure your death is painful and slow. Don't forget where we are. Don't forget who we are. Am I understood?" Without removing the blade from Hyunjin’s throat or the arm he had used to pin his opponent to the wall, Minho turned his head and stared each and every team member down with a burning gaze. Hasty words of approval travelled through the room, only the man who had caused him to lash out staying quiet.</p>
<p>But something in his expression had changed, it was now becoming clear that Minho’s word and open threat had gotten to him.</p>
<p>"I could barely hear that, Hwang. Say it again. Loudly." The hatred burned deep in Hyunjin's eyes as he failed to put on a fake smile and hissed "Yes, sir." "Good." Minho retrieved his blade and pushed himself away from the other assassin, his breath fast from the outburst and adrenaline rushing through his veins. "Make sure you don't forget what you just said. Anyone else who needs a reminder of where they are?" His eyes met the rest of these teams faces, not all being able to hide their fear as well as others, but nobody dared to speak up or step forward. Only Seungmin had unspoken words written all over his face, but chose to stay quiet for his own and his friends sake.</p>
<p>With the current tension in the room Minho deemed it impossible to continue. "Well then, your general tasks are clear and this meeting is over. You will be filled in on further details within the next days and I want everyone to be ready and aware of every single detail of the plan by the 17th. Those who have not been assigned to the mission, go and ask Seungmin for your respective assignment. Now leave." Minho announced coldly, diverting his attention to the file on the table, unable to contain his anger much longer. He could hear footsteps hurrying out of the room after quick bows in his direction, but he didn't need to look up to know that Seungmin was hesitating. "All of you." He added with a raised eyebrow and despite a frustrated sigh the room emptied completely, leaving Minho alone with racing thoughts hidden beneath his calm appearance.  </p>
<p>✦</p>
<p>A familiar hand wrapped around his wrist and Hyunjin contemplated for a second to just shoot the man in the face to gain some well deserved peace. However, this meant a lot more work and trouble afterwards than it was worth, so instead, he opted to slap his hand away and fasten his pace. "Fuck off."</p>
<p>Chan just laughed and easily caught up to the younger man, side eying him mockingly. "Not having a good day, Hyuni?" He taunted him and received an ice cold stare in return. If gazes could kill, Chan would be lying dead on the floor right this moment. "Don't fucking call me that." Hyunjin hissed, but slowed down and pulled Chan into the next empty room, slamming the door precipitantly. "How am I supposed to have a good day when it starts with Lee, that bastard. I want his head, I’m serious, Chan. He thinks he can allow himself to do whatever he wants just because he sucked up to the Elders and got his promotion. He is going to be the early death of me, goddamn it. He threathened me with a knife, Chan, a fucking knife, right in front of the entire Team." He took a deep, shaky breath, still irritated from experiencing things not going his way for the first time in his life. He had always grown up sheltered and pampered by the wealth of family, commanding people from an early age and as such was more than unhappy with being placed below someone after being allowed to join the organization that had made it possible for his parents to rise to prosperity. "If I have to bow and call that man sir one more time, I will actually throw up on his feet."</p>
<p>The young man turned and looked at Chan pleadingly, lips turning into a pout. "Why can't you lead a squad? I'd much rather work for you. You at least deserve it, don’t you think?" Chan laughed and raised his hands in fake surrender. "I'm no soldier, just your local poison expert. Keep me out of the frontlines, please. I’m much happier running my fancy little flower store behind the scenes and occasionally providing whatever deadly substance you guys need" Hyunjin scoffed. "And how's that going?"</p>
<p>"Surprisingly well. Police checked once for weed, but that's the only plant they seem to be able to identify, they didn't care at all about the other illegal stuff growing in plain sight that definitely do not belong in a store like mine. It was a pity to watch, honestly. Other than that, I hired this new guy, he's a strange one, but he's taking good care of the shop and revenue has increased. He knows how to mind his own business and leave the locked part of the greenhouse alone. And well, should he one day decide he doesn't, I'll take care of him. Would be a shame to lose him tho." Chan shrugged and sat down on one of the tables. </p>
<p>“You are free to stop by whenever you want and take what you need, nobody in the organization needs to know. Consider my services an act of friendship. But hey, Hyunjin, don’t fuck with Lee. As much as you dislike him, you shouldn’t risk getting your reputation tainted. You will get your chance in the future and when you do, I promise you, you will also get your revenge and I will be by your side for it. But now is not the time.” He softly knocked on the empty space next to him, prompting the younger to jump up next to him and lean his head against his shoulders.</p>
<p>“I just hate it. Everything.” The assassin admitted with a rarely heard soft voice. “Why him? Everyone in the inner circle seems to love him, but what does he have that I don’t? We received the same training, we are equally as skilled. I have undying loyalty to Chronos, they are the very reason my family is where it is. But he? His only connection to Chronos is his father and he is gone. He has nothing that holds him here except the threat of what will happen when he tries to leave. I don’t understand the trust that is put in him.”</p>
<p>Chan hummed approvingly, absentmindedly stroking Hyunjin’s hair back. “But maybe that’s exactly why. Maybe they are treating him so well so he won’t try to leave. So he doesn’t go around digging for the truth behind his father’s disappearance. Keeping him under control without wasting the years of training and the skills he learned from them. Maybe it all has nothing to do with you and your abilities.”</p>
<p>The younger raised his head, locking eyes with the florist, suddenly having a sly smile on his lips. “And if that is true, I can still make things right. I will destroy him, Chan, I swear I will. And when I do, the inner circle has no chance but to give me what I deserve.” The other laughed, taunting him with a mocking smile. “You are playing a dangerous game, Hwang Hyunjin.”, he warned, eyes being serious despite his playful tone. “Don’t lose yourself in it.”</p>
<p>But he received no answer, Hyunjin’s eyes sparkling with his mind far away, gears turning in his head as he thought about how he could take down the person who had seemed to be ahead of his ever since they first met. Simple jealousy had quickly turned into hatred, consuming him from the inside and nothing seemed to be able to extinguish the flame of it anymore. It was almost sad, Chan thought, to see a person with so much potential overtaken by an emotion as negative as it, but deep inside he knew he would gain satisfaction from seeing him rise and destroy someone who was nothing but a cause for concern. And so he said nothing, accepting the cold reality of their world and hoping it was not Hyunjin, who would be the one of the two to inevitably fall in the end.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i was planning to make hyunjin more evil but i cannot bring myself too ahaha sorry you just gotta suffer through two morally grey characters hurting each other</p>
<p>this chapter is a mess and im not entirely happy with it, so it is subject to change. sorry for the late update nonethtless, everything that's been happening with skz had kinda killed my motivation to finish the it. but im much better now and the next chapter will be out faster. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>